Box ScoreSpringfield, Mass. -- October 29, 2009 -- A goal with 5:47 left by senior co-captain Morgan Rein on Senior Night gave the Springfield College field hockey team a 2-1 non-conference victory over Plymouth State tonight at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field on the SC campus.
The victory elevated the Pride's overall record to 10-8, while the Panthers fell to 9-7. It was Springfield's third victory in a row.
The Pride honored five seniors prior to the game, including Rein, a midfielder from Mystic, Conn., back Julie Hoppmann (The Plains, Va.) , midfielder Becca Gamble (Granby, Conn.), midfielder Karah Heald (Bedford, N.H.), and back Kerry Haugh (Andover, Mass.). Fittingly, it was only seniors who were involved in the SC scoring.
It was Plymouth State that struck first. With 6:49 left in the first half, junior midfielder Courtney McLaughlin (Bellingham, Mass.) scored off a scramble in front. Freshman forward Olivia Colburn (Lancaster, N.H.) set up the goal on a nice feed from the right side.
But the PSU lead was not long-lived. Gamble took advantage of a scramble with 1:43 left in the first half, pushing the ball past the Panthers' goalkeeper, sophomore Elyse Sedgley (Hopkinton, N.H.). Rein had the assist for the Pride, and it was 1-1 at the intermission. Springfield had an 8-2 shots-on-goal advantage at the half.
Each team had some great chances in the second half. Finally, it was the always-hustling Rein who found the ball on her stick in close, forcing it by Sedgley with 5:47 to go. And that closed the scoring, although each team had more chances, keeping the crowd on edge.
Springfield outshot Plymouth State, 14-10, overall. Sedgley finished with 12 saves, while SC freshman goalkeeper Anna Calano (Columbia, Conn.) finished with nine saves.
The Pride will next play at home Saturday (Oct. 31) in a first-round New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference tournament game. Springfield, the #4 seed, will play 5th-seeded WPI at 1 pm. Just last Saturday, Springfield defeated WPI, 3-0, at Stagg Field.
After eight years as head coach of the Pride, Melissa Sharpe, has continued the SC tradition of winning on the field hockey turf, posting an impressive 120-58 record, good for a winning percentage of .674 at the helm of her alma mater. Read more.